NBA Championship 2025 Odds: Will the Celtics Repeat?

• • Head Coach: Joe Mazzulla
  • 2023-24 Record: 64-18 (Champions)
  • NBA Titles: 18
  • Key Players: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porziņģis

Inserting the Celtics as the favorite to win the NBA Championship next June was an easy decision for online bookies. Four months later and the Celtics are still the leading favorite with the top odds to win the championship.

The Celtics went 64-18 in the regular season and kept the train rolling in the postseason. Through four playoff series, the Celtics went 16-3! They didn’t lose more than a game in any series, including a sweep of the Indiana Pacers and a 4-1 win over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

In 2023-24, the Celtics were second in the NBA with 120.6 points per game. Additionally, the Celtics finished with the fifth-highest point differential of all time at 10.7 points per game! Since the mid 90s Bulls, only the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors had a larger gap.

The scary thing for the rest of the league is that this core will remain together for the 2024-25 season. The dangerous duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are back for the Celtics. Brown elevated his game in the playoffs en route to the NBA Finals 2024 MVP award!

BEWARE of Boogeyman Brown 😈 pic.twitter.com/YHidGqlIgS

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 6, 2024

Kristaps Porziņģis will be absent for the first stretch of the season. He is dealing with a foot injury that will sideline him for at least the first few months. However, the Celtics will still have success without Porziņģis in the lineup. They have the best depth in the league and will be fine in the meantime.

The Celtics don’t expect this to be a persistent problem that should linger to the playoffs, though. I’m more interested in Porziņģis’ status for the postseason. The Celtics can notch a high seed without him in the lineup, but I have full confidence in them for the NBA title when they are at full strength.

Along with the Latvian big man, defensive specialist Jrue Holiday will be back on the floor in Boston. There are question marks for other teams in 2024-25, but the Celtics are already well-positioned to be a top contender next season!

• • Head Coach: Mark Daigneault
  • 2023-24 Record: 57-25 (Loss Conference Semifinals)
  • NBA Titles: 1 (Seattle Supersonics)
  • Key Players: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a team that has seen improvement in their 2024-25 NBA Championship winner odds since June. The Thunder are down to +675 after opening at +900 earlier this year.

They didn’t make any blockbuster signings, but a couple of pieces that have a chance to put them over the top. Center Isaiah Hartenstein is now a member of the Thunder after spending the last two seasons with the Knicks.

He provides the Thunder with a solid rim protector and can contribute offensively. Additionally, the Thunder acquired Alex Caruso in a trade for Josh Giddey in June. Caruso is a nice bench piece and affords the Thunder a veteran presence in the locker room.

It’s also important to note that the trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams will only have more experience this season. Holmgren averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game on 53% shooting!

He’s only getting better, and the same goes for Williams heading into his third season. In 2023-24, Williams notched 19.1 points, four rebounds, and 4.5 rebounds per game. At only 23 years old, look for him to continue to grow and evolve for the Thunder.

With Gilgeous-Alexander leading this talented, young team, the Thunder might be the most dangerous team in the West.

• • Head Coach: Tom Thibodeau
  • 2023-24 Record: 50-32 (Loss Conference Semifinals)
  • NBA Titles: 2
  • Key Players: Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby

The New York Knicks are looking to get over the hump after bowing out of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers. They were trounced by the Pacers in Game 7 by a score of 130-109.

This was a banged-up team that wasn’t given the most credit heading into the playoffs. Not many pundits believed that the Knicks would be able to be a game away from going to the Eastern Conference Finals!

This season, the Knicks hope to stay healthy, and they have a new cast of characters in the starting lineup. Center Karl-Anthony Towns joined the Knicks after the Timberwolves traded him to New York last month.

Towns is an instant upgrade in the frontcourt for the Knicks. However, he does not have the physical or mental fortitude to rise up in the playoffs. While other teams turn things up a notch, Towns hasn’t matched their levels of intensity.

In any event, expect the Knicks to have a fantastic defense once again this season. In 2023-24, they finished ninth with a defensive rating of 112.4. OG Anunoby’s injury had an impact on this number not being higher. Health has to be a concern for the Knicks as a team this season.

Active players to record three straight 40-point playoff games:

Jamal Murray
Jalen Brunson

that's the list. pic.twitter.com/lgwb6Zw3Z7

— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 3, 2024

Jalen Brunson is a star in the backcourt, but he needs Anunoby and the supporting cast to stay on the floor. The Knicks’ NBA Championship odds improved on the news of the Towns’ trade, but I am not so optimistic that it will immediately make the Knicks a title team!